


At First Glance (Version 2)

by anotherdiana



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: M/M, University AU, erik's a tad creepy, fanfic contest, phantastic homos, probably read version one first?, this one's a bit nicer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 00:10:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2752301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherdiana/pseuds/anotherdiana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Phantastic Homos Fanfic Contest.<br/>From the first time Erik sees Raoul, to their first Christmas together.<br/>In Version 2, Erik is marginally less creepy. Marginally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At First Glance (Version 2)

Contest held by [PhantasticHomos](http://phantastichomos.tumblr.com/)

* * *

 

 

He’s in Starbucks when he gets his first glimpse of the boy. The merry jingle of the bell over the door announces his arrival. He’s probably no older than nineteen, and he laughs brightly as he walks in, bringing a gust of icy air with him. He’s wearing a thick jumper in a terrible christmas-tree pattern, and he pulls off a knitted green hat, leaving a mess of tousled curls. His cheeks are flushed from the cold, and he’s laughing and joking with a girl. Erik is so fixated on the boy, that it takes him a moment to realise that the girl is Christine.

He knows Christine intimately. They had one class together last year, and they only spoke twice, but Erik had admired her from afar, watching her obsessively from the back of the classroom, and he’s still friends with her on Facebook. He watches her posts religiously.

But Christine fades into the background when she is stood next to this boy. Erik may be the moth to Christine’s flame, but if Christine is a flame, then this boy is a supernova. She cannot compete. It only takes one glance, and Erik is hooked.

The boy orders a Gingerbread Latte, and a lemon and poppyseed muffin. He plays with the sleeves of his jumper as he waits for his order, and drops a pound coin into the tip jar before he leaves with Christine.

Once they’ve gone, Erik opens Facebook on his laptop, and begins searching through Christine’s friends. He knows it’s a futile task. Christine has over two thousand Facebook friends, which is one of the reasons that Erik doesn’t need to worry about her unfriending him. She probably doesn’t even remember receiving his friend request over a year ago. She is not only extremely popular, but she is also part of every worthwhile society on campus, and she took part in a beauty pageant last year that took her to Europe and made her semi-famous for a month.

Erik trawls through her friends list for over an hour, but he’s no closer to finding out who the blond boy is. Either he doesn’t have Facebook, or his profile picture isn’t of him, and his privacy is set on private. The thought that he might never discover the boy’s identity is disheartening, but Erik remains hopeful.

He sits at the back of the same Starbucks at the same time every day for a fortnight, but he sees neither Christine, nor her mystery friend. He keeps a close eye on Christine’s Facebook, but although she often updates her location, she is only ever with the girls from her classes, she never tags herself with the boy. Erik knows he’s being obsessive, and he’s beginning to worry even himself.

When, at last, he sees the boy again, he’s with Christine, and another of her friends, Meg. They’re on a picnic bench on the lawn in front of the university library, huddled together for warmth. It’s the last week of November, and the rain that has been almost constant is absent today. He wants to linger near them, to hear their conversation and maybe find out the boy’s name. He wants to hear the boy speak again, something more than a coffee order. But the lawn is almost deserted, and it would look too strange to take up residence on the next bench, out in the freezing cold, with no company. Instead, he hovers near the library door, until another girl joins them, and they all head off together.

They’re heading towards the Performing Arts block, where the girls have their lessons. Erik definitely left some sheet music there earlier today. Probably.

He walks quickly, overtaking them, reaching the building while they’re still ambling across the car park. He goes to the practise room he had used that morning. He didn’t leave anything in there, unsurprisingly, but takes the opportunity to book himself a room for a few slots later in the week.

He’s timed it perfectly, leaving the building just as Christine and her friends are arriving.

Christine kisses the boy on the cheek, and as they head inside, Meg calls out ‘see you tomorrow, Raoul’.

Now that Erik has a name, it’s easier to find him. He is on Facebook, although his profile picture is of a muddy Labrador, rather than himself. His name is Raoul de Chagny, and he’s in his second year of Business Studies. Most of the posts on his page are set to private, but there are a few public photos that he’s tagged in. Erik views them all. He’s entranced by the bright, genuine smile in the photos of him at picnics and parties with his friends. He’s gorgeously tanned on a sailboat with an older man who looks so like him that he must be a relative. His arm is slung around the same man at Machu Picchu, and he’s surrounded by a dozen other teenagers under the Arc de Triomphe on what is undoubtedly a school trip.

Erik wants to save these pictures, make them his screensaver, paste them up on his walls. He settles for saving one photo onto his laptop (the one of Raoul in a forest, arms around the same dog in his profile picture) so that he can stare at it whenever he wants.

The following Tuesday, Erik sees Raoul leaving South Block with several other boys, who walk with him to the bus stop, and then continue on without him. Raoul boards a 38 East. The bus only makes one more stop after the campus, and Erik knows the neighbourhood well enough.

Three days later, Christine changes her Facebook status to ‘In a relationship’ with Raoul de Chagny. Erik considers throwing his laptop through a window.

Tuesday rolls back around, and it’s a complete coincidence that Erik is walking past the bus stop in Raoul’s neighbourhood when he gets off the bus.

He just so happens to see which house Raoul enters.

There’s a park opposite, and Erik sets himself up with his sketchbook, with a decent view of the house. He sees two more boys arrive half an hour later. One of them, Harrison, he recognises from his first year. It’s definitely the most stalker-ish thing that Erik’s ever done, and he tries to feel a little bit guilty about it, without much success.

December arrives, and Raoul and Christine start to frequent the Starbucks where Erik first saw them together. They hold hands and giggle like children. Raoul always pays for Christine’s drink, and they sit together on a sofa, or if the shop is particularly full, they squash into a single armchair. Christine runs her hands through Raoul’s hair, and Erik’s stomach churns, a dangerous anger filling his whole body.

He catches Raoul alone, at last, outside the South Block two weeks before Christmas. He carefully doesn’t look where he’s going until they literally bump into each other. His intention is to laugh it off, strike up a conversation, hear Raoul talk in that light, lyrical voice, and maybe coax a laugh from him. When Raoul looks up at him, giving a small smile, all of Erik’s words leave him. He mutters ‘sorry’, and steps aside to let Raoul pass.

Term ends on the 19th, and the next day both of Raoul’s housemates go home for Christmas. Raoul goes nowhere, apparently intending to spend the holidays at University.

One week before Christmas, Raoul leaves his scarf under the table at Starbucks. Erik picks it up and takes it home with him. He spends the night inhaling Raoul’s scent from the soft wool. His obsession is reaching dangerous heights.

On Christmas Eve, Erik returns Raoul’s scarf. Raoul isn’t home, and a quick check of Christine’s Facebook page tells him that her and Raoul are eating Christmas lunch with Meg and her mother, who is a teacher at the University. Erik sits himself down on the doorstep, and hopes Raoul doesn’t plan to spend the night away.

An hour later, Christine updates her status again, and Erik’s heart soars. She’s changed her relationship status to ‘single’.

When the bus pulls in, Erik stands up, hurriedly. Hopefully it will look like he’s only just arrived.

As Raoul reaches the gate, Erik raises a hand to catch his attention, and calls out.

“Raoul!”

Raoul’s head snaps up, and he clenches his jaw, trying to wipe the tears off his face. They run down his cheeks faster than he can wipe them away.

“Yeah?” His voice is hoarse.

Erik takes a few steps down the path towards him, holding out the scarf casually.

“I think you left this behind, in the coffee shop?”

Raoul reaches out and takes the scarf from Erik, looking surprised. At least he’s not crying anymore.

“Yeah, thanks. Yeah.” He stares down at the scarf in his hands for a few moments. Then he looks up at Erik, puzzled, as if he’s trying to place him. “Er… how did you know where I live?”

“You’re Harry’s housemate, right? He was in my Music Theory class last year.”

Raoul nods, satisfied with the answer, as if it’s perfectly normal to know your old classmate’s new address. Perhaps it is. Erik isn’t exactly an expert on normal.

“To be honest, I was just planning on posting that through the letterbox,” Erik nods towards the scarf, “I didn’t think you’d still be here.” Lies. “Aren’t you going to your parents’ for Christmas?”

“My parents are dead.” Raoul replies softly.

“God, I’m sorry.” Erik wants to kick himself. How could he not have known?

“No, it’s alright, I mean, it’s not like it was recent. Mum died giving birth to me, and my Father died when I was seven, so like, it’s… it’s fine.”

“I didn’t have parents either.” Erik offers. “Well, I mean, I did. But my Father died while Mother was still pregnant. She gave me up when I was five. I sort of went from foster home to foster home. Sorry, I’m sharing too much, I do that. Sorry.” It’s almost a lie. Erik doesn’t share, ever. But although his words were completely intentional (he wants Raoul to feel as though they can relate), he has a horrible urge to keep talking, to tell Raoul everything. He wants Raoul to know his past, and be his future.

If he wanted Raoul’s pity, it seems he has it. There’s a heartbroken look on Raoul’s face.

“Do you want to come in for a bit, warm up?”

Erik laughs, awkwardly.

“Erm, yeah. Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

Raoul makes tea, and they sit together awkwardly on the sofa. Raoul’s eyes are still rimmed with red.

“Are you okay?” Erik asks, as gently as he can.

Raoul laughs, bitterly.

“Oh, my girlfriend just broke up with me. Y’know, on Christmas Eve.”

“I’m sorry.” Erik is most definitely not sorry.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting to spend Christmas alone. I mean, normally I’m at my brother’s. He’s a lot older than me, he pretty much raised me, you know? But like, he’s married with kids, and this year they’re all going to his wife’s parents’ house over Christmas. They invited me, but I don’t know them all that well, and I didn’t want to intrude. I figured I’d be okay, just staying here with Christine.”

“Christine Daae?” Erik asks, as though he doesn’t already know.

“Yeah. You know her?”

“A bit.” Erik sips his tea.

 “It’s just shit, waking up alone on Christmas Day.” Raoul looks like he might start crying again.

“I wouldn’t really know. I’ve pretty much always been alone on Christmas, so I guess I don’t know any different.” Erik’s going to play the sympathy card again. “I was usually in the home over Christmas, and even if I was with a foster family, it was never exactly a happy affair. I was always the outsider, never part of the family. As soon as I was old enough, I got my own place. Did some computer programming through college, just enough to get me by.” It wasn’t technically programming, it was slightly more illegal than that, but Raoul didn’t need to know everything. “I’ve always spent Christmas alone since then.”

Raoul has that heartbroken look on his face again.

“Do you want to stay here?” Raoul says, impulsively.

Erik is shocked, if a little impressed. That went better than he could possibly have hoped. He pretends to hesitate.

“I… really? I mean, you hardly know me. What if I’m a murderer or something?” Erik laughs. He doesn’t add ‘or a weirdo who stalks you on Facebook…’, which is significantly closer to the truth.

Raoul laughs too.

“Okay, so it’s crazy. But we’re both spending Christmas alone. We could just… spend it together.”

Erik feels slightly giddy.

“Alright. Let’s do it. Why not?”

Raoul is grinning.

“Do you want to go and get your stuff and bring it over?”

Erik catches the bus into town, and manages to get to the supermarket just before it closes. He picks up a few bottles of sparkling wine, some vegetables, and a small Christmas pudding. There are no turkeys or geese left, but he manages to get a chicken. It’s poultry, at least, and festive enough. As an afterthought he grabs some gingerbread.

Once he’s home, he quickly packs a change of clothes, and his toothbrush, and heads back to the bus stop.

When Raoul answers the door, he looks breathless and excited. He looks down at Erik’s plastic carrier bags, slightly confused.

“I figured I’d cook Christmas dinner tomorrow.”

“You can cook?” Raoul sounds genuinely thrilled, and a rush of affection goes through Erik for this boy who probably lives off Starbucks and Pot Noodles.

They settle in on the sofa that evening, the usual Christmas shows playing on the television in the background. Raoul gets closer and closer, until they’re pressed together at one end of the sofa. They get through one of Erik’s bottles of wine, and two of Raoul’s, and eventually Raoul falls asleep across Erik’s lap.

When they wake the next morning, Raoul makes tea again, and they exchange lazy kisses in front of the tree.

 

 


End file.
